Friday, June 27, 2014

Fungus Among Us

This was such a bright splash of color among the green and brown of it's surroundings. It almost looks like a tomato on a stem. After a lot of Googling and comparing pictures, I determined that this is likely an Amanita Jacksonii.This beautiful mushroom is found in North America from Quebec to Mexico, and resembles the Amanita Caesarea, which is found mainly in Southern Europe and North Africa.It is said to be edible, but it is not recommended because other members of this family are poisonous. Here it is shown in it's just-emerged, immature stage.

Here is a pretty white, cone-shaped mushroom that sprang up on an old stump. As you can see he has a unidentified friend nearby. Until I started searching for what these might be, I never realized how many fantastic fungi there are in every shape and color imaginable.

I saw this one a few days later on another stump, and at that time it looked similar to the one above. The picture below was taken today and you can see how it has changed. As it matured, it opened up, flattened out some and developed brown spots. These may both be Parasol mushrooms. True Parasol mushrooms are said to have exceptional flavor, but again, not something you want to eat unless you really know what you're doing since they can be confused with toxic varieties.

Hilary- yes there are so many interesting colors, shapes and textures. While researching, I even found that there are fungi that resemble flowers. That is similar to some sea creatures that look like plants. Nature is fascinating, indeed!